Tuesday, 24 May 2016

Welcome to Essential Politics, our daily feed on California politics and government news. Here's what we're watching:The state Senate has voted to prohibit developers, environmentalists and others from having private communications with the California Coastal Commission.California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris received the backing of Gov. Jerry Brown Monday for her bid to succeed Sen. Barbara Boxer.Brown also warned over the weekend that Democrats can't afford a "scorched earth" presidential fight and need to instead focus on beating presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump.A federal lawsuit accuses elections officials of not clearly explaining the presidential primary rules to "no party preference" voters and is asking for voter registration to be extended until Election Day.

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The deadline to register to vote in California's June 7 primary ends just before the clock strikes midnight.To check the status of your voter registration, go to this websiteNot sure which county you live in? Enter your ZIP code hereIf you need to register, or reregister, go hereThe last day to apply for a vote-by-mail ballot by mail is May 31. To make that request, you'll have to submit a form through your county official's office. You can find that here

If you're an independent voter who wants to vote the Democratic Party ballot, you'll have to be registered as "No Party Preference" and request a Democratic presidential primary ballot. (That's at the heart of a lawsuit filed by backers of Sen. Bernie Sanders.)

If you're registered with the American Independent Party instead, you won't be able to cast that vote. You can check your status here .

California's deadline to register to vote is Monday night, but the plaintiffs in a federal voting rights lawsuit are undeterred in their quest to get extra time.

William Simpich, the attorney who filed a lawsuit on Friday demanding additional time to register new voters, said on Monday that he's still waiting for the scheduling of a hearing in the case.

At issue: Confusion among some of California's independent voters, officially know as voters with "no party preference." As the Times first reported on Sunday, the lawsuit alleges these voters have not been given enough information about how to cast a ballot in the June 7 presidential primary.

The lawsuit was filed by a group supporting Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, as well as two voters from the Bay Area and California's American Independent Party.